Weekend Mashup No. 01

At last, the weekend mashup is ready to roll…We mentioned something earlier about our days being saturated with so much goodness, yes? We mean, when you frequent Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr, weheartit, lookbook, bloglovin, and etcetera, you’ll hardly run out of inspiration .

–Mashed-up while prepping for the Fashion Innovation Series and L’espace’s blogger limited edition calender brunch, here’s our very first weekend mashup.

In the Weekend Mashup, we collect the best of what we’ve come across on the internet. Think of it as a visually appealing buffet, spiced with words and served personally to you.

The Lineup

CLAN Kasumi Collection

When the clan went sporty at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week New York 2014, we may not have been so thrilled about the new angle, but we certainly had our favorite pieces. The lookbook incorporating the rich and colourful Harajuku culture (known internationally as a center of Japanese youth culture and fashion) in Japan, brings those favorite pieces to our limelight again, and we’re back to craving the hues of Indigo upon which lilac flowers were placed to mirror the pale pink Japanese cherry blossoms against the dark blue sky at night -it’ll pass though, maybe as soon as we pick up our very own.

Last year held a lot of anticipation for things to come, like the collaboration of a luxury women’s wear brand based in NYC with one of our favorite Nigerian artists, Ndidi Emefiele. The collaborative collection is here, and it’s called “She-is-king” a collection for working women which is usually labeled (9-5 collection). Ndidi painted a one-of-a-kind masterpiece, exclusively for Layo G which served as the inspiration for the collection.

The designer mentioned that “It has been a dream to work with Ndidi. Not only does her powerful work take my breath away but Ndidi herself is such a force. Her confidence and magnetism embodies the Layo G woman The ‘She Is King’ painting is absolutely incredible.”

Over the past few weeks, we’ve behaved in the usual manner of shopaholics, swooning over pretty clothes and the Awula collection by Ghanaian designer, Ameyo, who drew inspiration from the “door of no return” at the Elmina castle in Ghana. She says that “Every print from this collection is unique, echoing the fact that none of us is the same“. The shapes are simple, fluid and classic, combined with hand-woven lurix fabrics from Burkina Faso. Shot by Ghanaian photographer Ofoe Ameghavie

Fashpa “No Shade” Lookbook

Meanwhile, Fashpa.com just released its latest campaign featuring Yemi Alade, shot by Lakin Ogunbanwo. The campaign showcases key pieces from its very own Fashpa Collection. Shop it

Currently Happening

The Patriot

The first quarter of this year means election for we Nigerians, and as we gear up for the occasion, Nigerian actors, musicians and poets are encouraging us to be peaceful, loyal, honest and fair at the patriot edition of Open Mic Theatre. To serenade the guests with beautiful music, renowned musicians Timi Dakolo and Bemyoda will be on ground while Titilope (our spoken word poet crush) and Efe Paul will add their voices in spoken word.

They did mention it’s “FREE” twice, which means they really want us to attend. So why not?

The Black Play Series explore a diverse collection of plays from dramatists of African and Caribbean heritage. Combining performances, clips of past productions and lively discussion, each session will examine a topic, from decolonisation to sexuality, protest theatre to cosmopolitanism. It runs for 6 weeks, Starting this saturday.

Currently Reading

The Girl With The Magical Afro

We’ve always been partial to fairy tales and anything that makes us laugh, really. We regularly list laughter as a hobby on questionnaires. What we do fail to put down is that a vain part of us loves to laugh because laughter deters wrinkle formation. Hello, wrinkle-free forties! (If you already knew, yay you. If you didn’t, you’re welcome.) Last week while we were scrolling through our library on Okada Books, an awesome app reviewed Here, we stumbled on a curious little book we’d been wanting to read for months. Drawn in first by the illustration of a girl with possibly the hugest Afro ever pictured, we quickly gobbled up this twenty-three page story by Okechukwu Ofili. AFRO, THE GIRL WITH THE MAGICAL AFRO is the name and we certainly got more than our share of laughs while reading it.

True to style, Mr Ofili took a uniquely Nigerian, very humorous spin on a couple of the most well-known (and loved) fairy tales; Snow White and Rapunzel, merges them together and creates something that’s entirely original in its execution. More reasons this story is awesome? Asides the hilarious Nigerian pop-culture (IS THAT A THING?) references e.g. The goody bag and the selling point, we love that this story not-so-subtly promotes healthy, natural hair, by taking jabs at chemical relaxers and hair extensions. It’s all very tongue-in-cheek and not mean-spirited or offensive. We also loved the end and how Ofili chose to go against the standard fairy tale end in favour of a more realistic not-always-so-happily-ever-after that we can fully support.

Doctor’s Orders: Feeling blue or in need of a pick-me-up? Settle down with this story and your favorite beverage for an infusion of happiness.

Currently Slaying

Asa

Have you seen Asa’s latest instagrams? She’s KILLING it! But hey, let’s not lose focus. She’s on tour in Europe… Zurich, Barcelona, Berlin… etc. And out here in Lagos, we wait our turn.

In The News

www.styd.com.ng, the online fashion retailer, is giving students an opportunity to work in fashion while they are at University. STYD requires smart, creative and forward thinking individuals to represent the brand at various universities across Nigeria.

The STYD Student Ambassador programme gives you a chance to build your resume, develop business skills, enhance your networking skills, earn commission per sale and as part of the programme you would be gifted with FREE CLOTHES from STYD!!!

Things We Are Excited About

Eku Edewor’s Style Diary on Elle South Africa

It’s friday, and we’re gushing over our woman crush featured on Elle Magazine South Africa. We distinctly remember calling her out on an episode of Style Lust -a lot has happened since then. Now, she’s currently doing a five day style diary on Elle where she shares tips while wearing African designer pieces. These include the well known Ituen Basi, Lisa Folawiyo, and Laquan Smith. One time, she said “Wide leg, high-waist pants are the quickest way to achieve longs limbs“.. Agreed?

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More Stories

Titles aren’t my thing, but I’m getting better I presume. It wasn’t too long ago I made this playful video at my cousin’s birthday, which ended in a sweet proposal – I remember every detail, and I still get goosebumps-. 5…

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We curate fashion, art and photography works by African creatives based on what we identify as authentic, different and unconventional. Black Fabulousity is a tie that binds enthusiasts, junkies, and supporters of creativity with creative individuals while presenting a diversified view on African creativity.